"The government is committed to maintaining food price stability and ensuring the availability is safe until Eid al-Fitr," he said at the Cheap Food Bazaar at the University of Indonesia (UI), Depok, West Java, on Saturday, according to a statement.
According to him, the national food stocks are safe, with rice stocks reaching 2.2 million tons. This amount is the highest in the last eight years.
Apart from that, the prices of food commodities that previously increased, such as chilis, have started to return to a stable state. Thus, the community is encouraged not to be worried about price surges ahead of Eid al-Fitr.
The minister expressed appreciation for the bazaar which was initiated by the alumni association of UI (Iluni UI) as a form of concern in providing staple food at affordable prices for the community, especially those living around the UI campus.
"This is an excellent collaboration to support people to get food at affordable prices. With such cooperation, we can ensure food prices remain stable until Eid," Sulaiman remarked.
He expressed hope that the step can also be carried out in other universities to help more people.
The initiative, he said, is also part of the cheap food market operations.
The Ministry of Agriculture earlier initiated the cheap food market operations featuring five commodities, including rice and garlic, distributed through state-owned logistics company Pos Indonesia to reach the wider community and maintain price stability.
Iluni UI Chairperson Didit Ratam noted that the cooperation between the Ministry of Agriculture and Iluni UI highlights the importance of synergy between academicians, the government, and the private sector in maintaining food security, ensuring staple food affordability, and helping those in need.
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Translator: Muhammad Harianto, Raka Adji
Editor: Azis Kurmala
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